# US 8,000,453 B2 · Personal virtual assistant > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,000,453 B2 - Document ID: US8000453B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 12/053,229 - Filed: 2008-03-21 - Published: 2008-08-21 - Granted: 2011-08-16 - Earliest claimed: 2000-03-06 - Assignees: Avaya Inc. - Inventors: Robert S. Cooper; Jeff F. McElroy; Walter Rolandi; Derek Sanders; Richard M. Ulmer; Edward Peebles - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8000453B2 ## CPC - G10L 13/00: Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems - G06F 3/167: {Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback} - G10L 15/26: Speech to text systems (G10L15/08 takes precedence) - H04M 3/527: Centralised call answering arrangements not requiring operator intervention - G10L: SPEECH ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES OR SPEECH SYNTHESIS; SPEECH RECOGNITION; SPEECH OR VOICE PROCESSING TECHNIQUES; SPEECH OR AUDIO CODING OR DECODING - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - H04M: TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION (circuits for controlling other apparatus via a telephone cable and not involving telephone switching apparatus G08) ## Abstract A computer-based virtual assistant includes a virtual assistant application running on a computer capable of receiving human voice communications from a user of a remote user interface and transmitting a vocalization to the remote user interface, the virtual assistant application enabling the user to access email and voicemail messages of the user, the virtual assistant application selecting a responsive action to a verbal query or instruction received from the remote user interface and transmitting a vocalization characterizing the selected responsive action to the remote user interface, and the virtual assistant waiting a predetermined period of time, and if no canceling indication is received from the remote user interface, proceeding to perform the selected responsive action, and if a canceling indication is received from the remote user interface halting the selected responsive action and transmitting a new vocalization to the remote user interface. Also a method of using the virtual assistant. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A computer-based virtual assistant comprising: a virtual assistant application running on a computer capable of receiving human voice communications from a user of a remote user interface and transmitting a vocalization to the remote user interface, the virtual assistant application enabling the user to access email and voicemail messages of the user; the virtual assistant application selecting a responsive action to a verbal query or instruction received from the remote user interface and transmitting a vocalization characterizing the selected responsive action to the remote user interface; and the virtual assistant waiting a predetermined period of time, and if no canceling indication is received from the remote user interface, proceeding to perform the selected responsive action; and if a canceling indication is received from the remote user interface halting the selected responsive action and transmitting a new vocalization to the remote user interface, wherein the virtual assistant application enables the user to forward an email message to an email address, and wherein, if the verbal query or instruction is an instruction to telephone an individual, the virtual assistant application is configured to determine whether at least two telephone numbers for the individual are available to the virtual assistant, determine whether the user has previously telephoned the individual, determine the number at which the user last telephoned the individual, and, if the number at which the user last telephoned the individual comprises one of the at least two telephone numbers, automatically call the individual at the number at which the user last telephoned the individual. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The computer-based virtual assistant according to claim 1, wherein the canceling indication received from the remote user interface is a vocal instruction. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The computer-based virtual assistant according to claim 1, wherein the canceling indication received from the remote user interface is a DTMF tone. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The computer-based virtual assistant according to claim 1, wherein the new vocalization indicates that the selected responsive action has been canceled. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The computer-based virtual assistant according to claim 1, wherein the selected responsive action is dialing a telephone number. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The computer-based virtual assistant according to claim 1, wherein the virtual assistant application enables the user to send voice mail messages. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The computer-based virtual assistant according to claim 1, wherein the virtual assistant application enables the user to access scheduling data of the user. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The computer-based virtual assistant according to claim 1, wherein the virtual assistant application is configured to inform the user via a pager when a new voice or email message arrives. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The computer-based virtual assistant according to claim 1, further comprising: a communications interface to communicate over a network, the network being one of a public switched telephone network, a packet switched telephone network, and a wireless telecommunications network. ### Claim 10 A method comprising the steps of: providing a virtual assistant application running on a computer capable of receiving human voice communications from a user of a remote user interface and transmitting a vocalization to the remote user interface, the virtual assistant application enabling the user to access email and voicemail messages of the user; receiving by the virtual assistant a verbal query or a verbal instruction from the remote user interface; selecting a responsive action to the verbal query or the verbal instruction; transmitting a vocalization characterizing the selected responsive action to the remote user interface; waiting a predetermined period of time; and if no canceling indication is received from the remote user interface within the predetermined period of time, proceeding to perform the selected responsive action; and if a canceling indication is received from the remote user interface within the predetermined period of time, halting the selected responsive action and transmitting a new vocalization to the remote user interface, wherein said step of receiving by the virtual assistant a verbal query or a verbal instruction comprises the step of receiving an instruction to telephone an individual and including the additional steps of: determining whether at least two telephone numbers for the individual are available to the virtual assistant; determining whether the user has previously telephoned the individual; determining the number at which the user last telephoned the individual; and if the number at which the user last telephoned the individual comprises one of the at least two telephone numbers, automatically calling the individual at the number at which the user last telephoned the individual. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method according to claim 10, further comprising: receiving voice mail messages via the virtual assistant application. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method according to claim 11 further comprising: replying to and forwarding email messages via the virtual assistant application. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method according to claim 12 further comprising: accessing scheduling data of the user via the virtual assistant application. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The method according to claim 10, wherein the transmitting step occurs over a network, selected from the group consisting of a public switched telephone network, a packet switched telephone network, and a wireless telecommunications network. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The computer-based virtual assistant according to claim 1, wherein the virtual assistant application is configured to filter incoming voice mail and email as instructed by the user.